Robert Jurkovic enters the preseason as one of the Wolfpack’s biggest unknowns, and that’s saying something on a roster with plenty of question marks. Basketball practice is set to begin in 9 days, on September 21, and the early read on the Slovenian forward is simple: there’s intrigue here, but not a ton of public evidence yet.
Jurkovic hasn’t shown up often in offseason photos, and even his measurements are a moving target. GoPack does not list a height or weight for him.
Basketball Reference has him at 6-10. Proballers calls him a 6’8” small forward, then lists him at 6’7” later in the same bio.
Based on the clips available, he looks closer to 6’9” and appears to have solid size. The staff has consistently described him as someone who can play forward or center.
What is clear is his background. Jurkovic is Slovenian, born June 14, 2002, and he has been in a pro system since the 2019-2020 season, when he played in the Under 19 league.
He spent the last three seasons in Slovenia’s Liga OTP Banka, a league described as a high-quality European professional circuit, and last season he played for Iligija. Across the past three seasons, including regular season and playoffs, he appeared in 95 league games.
The best snapshot of his game comes from Patrick Stacy in a July Pack Pride interview. Stacy called him, “Really good shooter.
He was at 40% 3PT this year as well. Not as much volume, maybe 2 or 3 attempts per game.
Really efficient around the basket despite not having, I would say ‘limited-vertical pop’, but he’s not an above-the-rim player. But close to 70% at the rim this season.
Really good in terms of short-role playmaking. He’s got a really good feel.
Robert was one of the most efficient players in the league. I t was a proven league.
Definitely someone we have high expectations for, and he can play the 4 or the 5. He offers a little bit of everything to the front court.
Great timing and understanding of the game defensively. He led the team in blocks over there.
Robert is going to be a big-time piece.”
Assistant coach Matt Driscoll also pointed to Jurkovic’s professional experience, saying, “When you talk about Jurkovic, you’re talking about a kid who played professionally. He’s a 24-year-old Slovenian who has come over and he’s gotten into the mix as well.”
The uncertainty around Jurkovic’s role is tied to the ongoing legal situation involving Lubin. If that situation turns against Lubin, Jurkovic would be the first big off the bench behind Evans to start the season. If not, the minutes get tight in a hurry.
That’s because the coaching staff has also been hearing strong things about Lubin, Yalaho and Evans. Gainey’s line that “Shah Hall has his best ball in front of him” sounds, in this context, like a sign that Hall may not be part of the main rotation.
Gainey also said, “We will have the opportunity to play two big men.” The read here is that he meant Lubin and Evans together, not simply that the roster has size.
That leaves Yalaho and Evans looking locked in at forward and center, with the two of them likely handling a combined 40-45 of the 80 available minutes each game. Lubin, Jurkovic and Wilkins can all theoretically back up either spot, but the reality is that Lubin is too good to sit, and he and Evans are expected to take all of the meaningful center minutes. That would leave Ven around 20-25 minutes a night, and not much room for Jurkovic and Wilkins to split what remains.
At least to begin the season, Jurkovic looks like the bench option behind Yalaho. The expectation is that he’ll bring outside shooting and defensive rebounding.
The difference is that he is not expected to provide the same playmaking Yalaho does. Wilkins, meanwhile, is projected to bring a stronger interior presence, defense, scoring around the rim and offensive rebounding.
That’s the change-of-pace look the coaches seem to want at forward, and as Wilkins gets more comfortable with the college game, he’s expected to push harder for those minutes.
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